FOZZY's CHRIS JERICHO Believes Focusing On Singles Rather Than Full-Length Albums Is 'Better For The Music'

In a new interview with the ALT 105.1 radio station, FOZZY frontman Chris Jericho reflected on how his band's latest album, 2022's "Boombox", has been received by the fans since it was released nearly a year ago. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It was a huge success. We released three singles that all went Top 10. Then three more of the songs we play live, and then the rest of the songs kind of end up in the FOZZY 'dead-song graveyard.' So I'm wondering in the future if releasing a full record is the way to go."

He continued: "I think [what] we're gonna try to do [going forward] is just release a single every three or four months and keep the product always there and not waste the songs. 'Cause that's what you're doing when you put out a great record. You spend so much time on every one of these songs, meticulously creating them and they're your children, and then they just never really… unless you buy the record and listen to the record. There's only so many songs you can play live from a new album when you have as many albums as we do. So that might be something we will look [to do] in the future — just doing one song at a time… And then every song you can release as a single and give it its chance to go where it's gonna go."

Jericho added: "I'm from the generation where you would go… When the new IRON MAIDEN [album] is coming out, you'd go down and take the bus every Saturday: 'Is it out yet? No.' And then finally you walk through and you hear the music and you see the wall of MAIDEN records. That was such a great moment in a kid's life. But things have changed. No kid knows what a record store is now. You just go on Spotify and listen to the songs you wanna hear. So you've gotta roll with the times. Obviously, putting out a new record is a piece of art, but I think song by song you can do the same. Plus you get a different cover for every one. So I think it just adds to more of a marketing plan. I think it's just better for the music itself as well."

Chris previously floated the idea of FOZZY focusing on singles rather than full-length albums in an interview last month with Wes Styles of Rock 96.7 (WIHN-FM). At the time, Jericho said: "We released 'Boombox' back, almost a year ago now. And it's kind of a bad thing about a record, is you put all this time and all this heart and soul into 12 songs. Three of 'em are singles; all of 'em went Top 10. Three more of them we play live; they all go over great. And six of them just kind of disappear into the FOZZY song graveyard. And that bothers me because there's great songs there. So I think what we're gonna do for a while is just release singles. I think that's the business model we wanna do, 'cause I don't want these great songs like 'Omen' or 'The Worst Is Yet To Come', 'Army Of One' — all of these great tunes that if you have 'Boombox', people go nuts for them, and they'll never be played.

"I think we're gonna release another single probably in a month or two — or probably a little bit longer, 'cause we're still kind of [putting] the finishing touches on it," Chris revealed. "But it's awesome. And we're excited to do that — release a song every few months rather than two years in between a record that comes and goes very quickly."

Last November, FOZZY completed a 10-date U.K. tour. It marked the band's first live appearances since FOZZY postponed the remaining dates of its summer/fall 2022 "Save The World" tour due to a throat injury suffered by Jericho, who is also a wrestling superstar. According to FOZZY, Jericho sustained a bruised larynx in August at the AEW "Quake By The Lake" event in Minnesota where he squared off against Jon Moxley for the interim AEW world championship.

The official music video for "I Still Burn" recently eclipsed two million views.

The 12-track "Boombox" also features the Top 10 singles "Nowhere To Run" and "Sane".

In January 2022, FOZZY parted ways with longtime drummer Frank Fontsere and replaced him with Grant Brooks (THROUGH FIRE).

Fontsere was a founding member of FOZZY, having formed the group in 1999 with Jericho and Ward.

When FOZZY announced Fontsere's departure, the band said that he was "stepping down to focus on his family and other projects."

FOZZY is Chris Jericho (vocals),Rich Ward (guitars, vocals),Grant Brooks (drums),Billy Grey (guitars) and P.J. Farley (bass).